Syd forcibly altered the Avengers' time-travel coordinates, pulling them into his present timeline.
While passing through the Quantum Tunnel, Tony Stark and the others were suddenly engulfed by a deep crimson light.
"This is impossible—this is the Quantum Realm!"
Scott Lang instinctively shouted.
In the very next instant, their vision blurred—and they were forcibly ejected from the tunnel, reappearing in the real world.
...
America, New York.
Bright sunlight bathed them—but none of them were in the mood to enjoy it. They stood stunned, exchanging looks of confusion.
"Thor, weren't you and Rocket supposed to go to Asgard in 2013 to extract the Aether from Jane? Why are you here?"
Natasha couldn't help but ask, turning to the pair.
The others also turned their attention toward Thor and Rocket.
"You're calling us out?" Rocket snapped. "Clint, Natasha—you two were headed to Vormir for the Soul Stone. Why are you here?"
"And you two—Rhodey, Nebula—weren't you going after the Power Stone?"
Everyone looked at one another, dumbfounded. Each wore the same confused expression.
Something was very wrong.
It didn't take long for them to recall the strange red glow they'd seen in the tunnel.
"You all remember that light, right?" Scott asked.
Nebula and the others nodded.
"Looks like whatever it was—it dragged us all here at the same time," Rhodey said, frowning.
Before anyone else could comment, Scott exclaimed, "But that was the Quantum Realm! How could any energy affect that?"
"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."
"What the hell is going on?!"
Everyone—including Tony—was equally puzzled.
"So… we failed?" Scott said in frustration. "The Pym Particles were only good for one round trip, and now we've all ended up here…"
The implication was obvious.
Hearing this, despair began to set in—especially for Clint, Thor, and a few others. The hope they had been given had just been crushed.
Nothing was crueler.
Just as hopelessness began to spread, Bruce Banner spoke up gently, "Let's figure out where we are first. Maybe… just maybe… we still have a shot at recovering the Stones."
His words offered a bit of relief.
"You're right, Bruce!"
"Let's find out the current time and location."
"Well, for starters, this clearly isn't New York during the 2012 battle—too peaceful."
They glanced around.
The streets were calm under the bright sun. There wasn't even a hint of battle or chaos.
They each pulled out their equipment to begin scanning for time and coordinates.
Just then, four kids nearby noticed them.
"Hey, are you guys the Avengers?!"
"Oh my god, we're seeing the real Avengers!"
"Quick, let's take some pictures!"
The four kids looked like teenagers, carrying phones and rushing over with excitement.
Seeing this, Tony and the others grew tense.
This was bad.
Their original plan was to avoid interacting with anyone from the past to prevent altering the future.
But now, they had been spotted.
They exchanged uncertain glances, unsure what to do.
To keep things calm, Natasha stepped forward quickly and blocked the kids from taking pictures. She crouched slightly and smiled so they wouldn't be scared.
"Kids, we can take photos later, alright? But can I ask you something first? The Battle of New York… um, when did the Chitauri invasion happen?"
Hearing this, all of the Avengers turned their attention to the kids.
The boys looked confused. Why would an Avenger ask such a thing?
Still, they didn't overthink it. One of them—Andrew—raised his hand and said, "Uh, not that long ago? Maybe a few months back? Why?"
The Avengers exchanged looks—and their hearts sank.
The Battle of New York had already passed. It had been their best shot at retrieving multiple Infinity Stones.
And they had missed it.
Now what?
Just as they were panicking, the kid continued with a confused look, "Didn't the Chitauri get taken out by you guys… and White Robe?"
That made everyone pause.
"White Robe?"
"Who's that?"
Scott couldn't help but ask.
Silence fell.
The kids stared at him as if he were a strange creature—or maybe even an alien.
Their expressions couldn't have been more baffled.
Seeing their reactions, Tony and the others became even more curious.
Who was this "White Robe"? Where had he come from?
They had no memory of such a person during the New York battle.
One of the kids, named Walter, finally said, "Wait… you seriously don't know White Robe?"
"Are you from another planet or something?"
"An alien?"
"In this day and age, someone doesn't know who White Robe is?"
Andrew and the other two nodded in agreement.
"So…" Scott asked cautiously, "Who exactly is he?"
Walter responded casually, "White Robe—Thor's brother. The God of Light, Balder!"
Just as he was about to go on about Balder being a Creator God or some such…
He noticed the stunned looks on all the Avengers' faces—especially that weird "alien" guy.
One by one, their eyes all turned to Thor.
And right then, Thor himself stood frozen, his face full of confusion and shock.
"White Robe… my brother… the God of Light… Balder?"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]